In fact, it wasn’t just a day or two ago that he thought about the intelligence business. It was impossible to properly grasp the situation of the entire empire while being confined to the palace.

Although he received various information from Cantares, there were limitations because it passed through many hands. Cantares would one day rise to the top of this empire, so Arendt couldn’t treat him like that forever.

What was needed now was raw information, but with a degree of discernment between what was true and what was false.

As an apprentice knight belonging to the imperial family, it was difficult for him to frequently visit the information agency.

It was obviously impossible to collect information on his own.

In the end, the only things he could trust and rely on were the money that was now overflowing in both hands and the stocks in the Neumann company.

‘Who is telling whom to be broad-minded?’

There was another reason why Neumann accepted this offer.

Because Arendt said it was necessary

He didn’t feel particularly embarrassed about it, because this was a business that couldn’t fail.

‘The East Merchant did something similar during the war.’

The part that Manager Neumann was worried about would not be a problem at all. After all, more than anyone else, the nobles would welcome the emergence of a clean and transparent information system with open arms.

Taking advantage of the chaotic situation, the East Merchant jumped into the information business and hit the jackpot. In particular, thanks to their collaboration with the royal family and their ability to quickly relay the location of the enemy’s appearance, they were able to prevent a lot of damage.

But there was no need to leave good things to others. Personally, he was a little antipathetic to the East Merchant.

It was always nice to think about how much money he had.

As he returned with light steps, he was immediately greeted by Arthur’s irritated words.

“Where have you been wandering around like that?”

“It’s not like it’s been a day or two, isn’t it annoying to get so annoyed every time?”

“You’re talking nonsense. Here, the servant named Seton gave it to me earlier.”

Arthur gave him a disapproving look and handed him a sealed letter.

As always, Arendt received the letter without saying thank you or anything, and checked the sender as was his habit.

After a moment, his handsome brow furrowed slightly. The area where the sender was usually written was blank.

Arthur added a word from the side.

“I thought it was strange, too. It was a letter with no sender, so Seton was hesitant when he passed it on to me.”

Arendt flipped the luxurious envelope over several times before immediately breaking the seal to check the contents.

“Uh?”

Arthur’s face, who had been leaning over his shoulder out of curiosity, hardened.

The letters were written in bright red, fierce letters on the crisp paper.

Curiosity killed the cat.

‘I think there was a situation like this before.’

Arendt clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Being popular is also a hassle.”

“What the hell are you talking about, you bastard!”

Arthur shouted. At that sound, knights from all over the barracks began to gather.

“What is it? What’s going on?”

“What’s the fuss?”

Arendt just stared blankly at the letter until his seniors formed a circle with him in the center.

If you think about it logically, this was…

“It’s a threat, isn’t it? It’s like telling you not to dig any further.”

“It’s not that strange for one or two of these things to come flying at you with your temper…”

Someone groaned as those words were blurted out.

There was no one who could argue with that.

When he put his nose to the paper and sniffed, a pungent scent of blood rose up. It wasn’t just bright red, it had a strange dark red tint to it, and anyone could tell that it was written in blood.

Arthur ground his teeth fiercely.

“Damn it, you dare send a threatening letter to an imperial knight? This bastard’s so brave.”

“That’s right. Normally, you wouldn’t think of sending something like this to the palace. In the first place, wouldn’t an item with an unknown sender not be allowed to enter the palace?”

“Someone must have slipped it in between the pile of letters. In fact, even the royal family can’t completely prevent someone with great ability from sneaking in.”

Arendt looked through the letters as he responded indifferently to Glenn’s serious muttering as if it were someone else’s business.

There was nothing particularly noticeable except a threatening phrase written on one side.

“Do you have a guess of who the sender is?”

“Wouldn’t there be any?”

There was no visible information that could be used to guess the sender, but there were some guesses.

The corners of Arendt’s mouth curled.

“It seems like she was quite upset that the casino was robbed.”

Rebecca.

Other knights could recall the name as well.

Rider’s face crumbled.

“What? But why are you being singled out?”

“The other person isn’t stupid either. If she thinks about it a few times, she’ll probably be able to guess who took the lead. And who was the one causing the most trouble there?”

“It’s a good thing you’re aware, you punk.”

Since his face wasn’t covered, it wouldn’t have been difficult to figure out who he was based on his appearance.

Arendt scratched his cheek.

“What a bold guy. The content is a threat, but what she’s doing is closer to declaring war… Ah.”

“What?”

“Come to think of it, there’s no way we can respond to this either.”

It was a secret that Arendt and the knights were inside the casino.

Since there was no evidence that the person who sent the threatening letter was the owner of the casino, it was difficult to officially investigate the threatening letter. It would also be difficult to catch them.

Arthur frowned as he understood the meaning of those words.

“That’s true. Anyway, you have to be careful for the time being, because you never know what they might do. What are you going to do about this?”

“I’ll just keep it safe for now. I might have to return it someday.”

Arendt shrugged and took care of the threat.

“It’s interesting. I don’t know if they really sent it or if it was someone else.”

As he spoke, his head tilted to one side.

“Now that it’s come to this, I have no choice but to stir it up as much as I want.”

“…I like your courage in not backing down, but don’t you have any sense of caution?”

“Why should I be cautious?”

Arendt responded calmly to Rider’s comment.

“And think about it carefully. If I reported that I received a threatening letter, would the captain just sit still?”

“…”

No, absolutely not.

In an instant, the knights’ mouths snapped shut.

The image of Laius, who would become even more fired up and devoted to the investigation, asking who dared threaten the safety of his apprentice knight, was already vivid.

“I’ll fan it gently from the side, you know. I think it would be good for the seniors to prepare themselves mentally in advance. There’s going to be a lot of work to do. I’ll look into this myself.”

“Ah, this annoying kid…”

Someone let out a small sigh.

“Bullshit, who the hell compared him to a cat.”

Unfortunately, that guy was not a cute cat-like creature. Maybe he was more akin to a big snake.

The arrival of the threatening letter was ignored. However, the apprentice knight’s prediction soon became reality. Upon returning, Laius’ eyes lit up in fury when he received the news of the threatening letter.

“Let’s expand the investigation.”

It just so happened that the Crown Prince had given his permission just a little while ago. There was nothing that could stop Laius.

The illegal gambling dens, black markets, and exchanges that were operating well while hiding were suddenly struck by lightning. With Diana and Kendrick joining in, the scope of the investigation expanded even further.

And Arendt, as if he wanted to reveal to the world that he was that curious cat, kept darting around here and there.

Finally, Arthur couldn’t stand it anymore and burst out in frustration.

“Don’t you know the word self-restraint?”

“Senior, you seem to be getting more and more irritated. Go to the kitchen and ask for some warm milk.”

“Hey, it’s because of you!”

“Why?”

Arendt, who was about to leave, turned around with wide eyes as if he really didn’t know anything.

“Are you that worried? Just because of that one threatening letter?”

“…”

Arthur’s eyebrows twitched.

To some, it could be seen as a representation of a youngest knight who was genuinely moved, but the problem was that the other person was Arendt.

He thought it would be refreshing to punch that innocent, sparkling face with his fist.

But before he could do it, the bastard quickly returned to his usual expressionless, arrogant face.

“I’m not like the seniors who go around getting beaten up. If things get tough, I can sell out all my seniors and find a way to live on my own. I’m not particularly interested in a fancy and tragic death like someone else.”

“How long are you going to worry about that?”

Arendt, who was looking at him with pity as he tossed his hair in frustration and anger, suddenly opened his mouth.

“Are you free today?”

“What? Uh… It’s my day off.”

“That’s right.”

When Arthur, who had suddenly come to his senses, answered absentmindedly, the arrogant apprentice knight slightly frowned and tilted his head.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that? It makes me feel sick.”

“No. I wonder if my senior will be of any help.”

“Do you want to get beaten up by this unhelpful senior?”

“If you can, try it.”

Just as the ongoing argument was about to begin again, Arendt changed the subject.

“If you have time, would you mind helping me out? It’s not that hard of a task.”

“What?”

The apprentice knight who leisurely left the palace headed naturally to the Neumann merchant headquarters. There, on the third floor, there was another welcome guest besides Neumann.

“Lord Arendt! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you.”

Count Stadler, who had been sitting in his seat, sat up with a smile on his face. Arendt sat down across from him and gave him a quick greeting.

“You look well, Count.”

“It’s all thanks to Lord Arendt.”

Count Stadler smiled broadly with a shadowless face.

His expression couldn’t help but be good.

He ended up getting a very nice laboratory near the mine. Cantares kept his promise to provide full support for his research. In addition, he was maintaining a good relationship with the Neumann Group due to the magic stone mine project.

With research commissioned by the above names, research requested by the Crown Prince, and even the occasional collaboration with the imperial wizards, this life was like heaven to the workaholic.

“Oh, by the way, I have also prepared what Lord Arendt requested.”

“That’s nice to hear.”

“I’ll have a servant bring the books and such to your dormitory later. And this.”

Count Stadler placed a small leather pouch on the table.

“I thought it wouldn’t reach the standards you mentioned, so I used a magic stone to increase its power.”

“Thank you. I will send you the money later through the servant.”

As the Count finished speaking quickly, almost in a whisper, and Arendt nodded blandly, Neumann, who had been out for a moment to get tea, smiled and spoke to him.

“What secret are you talking about?”

“It’s confidential.”

The Count smiled awkwardly, and Arendt answered shamelessly.

Neumann also chuckled, as if he wasn’t expecting an answer, and sat down in his seat.

“The Knights are probably very busy with the gambling house incident. Is it okay for you to go out so often?”

“I’m just an apprentice knight, so what’s the problem? I’m a bad guy by nature.”

The two burst into laughter at Arendt’s natural response.

“Then, let’s start working together with the rogue knight in earnest. It’s a new business story.”

“Haha… I’m not used to this kind of thing, but please take care of me anyway.”

The gazes of Neumann, who was joking, and Count Stadler, who was smiling awkwardly as always, met in the air.

‘You’ve been influenced.’

By that reckless apprentice knight.

The two burst into laughter.

It was because they could see the clear anticipation and playfulness in his eyes.